1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computers and more particularly to a computer having a pad that can be rotated about an axis near the front of the computer and a pair of support legs that extend from the computer during times when the wrist pad is rotated to one or more pre-defined positions.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
There are many types of personal computers on the market. Due to the mobility of our society, an increasing popular form of personal computer is the portable computer, often referred to as a notebook computer or laptop computer.
A portable computer has many of the advantages of the non-portable variety, with the additional advantage of being relatively lightweight and storable in a low profile configuration. In addition to its portable features, notebook or laptop computers generally employ a keyboard configured similar to non-portable computers. The keyboard generally has a QWERTY layout, where keys may be slightly elevated from the keyboard surface.
Repeated finger movements upon the keys of a computer keyboard may cause significant trauma to the hands, wrists, and general arm area of a user. In an attempt to alleviate some such problems, manufacturers often recommend the use of a pad. The pad can be placed in many different locations depending upon the user""s desires. Typically, the pad is placed near a forward surface of the keyboard. The user can then rest a portion of his or her arm upon the pad, thus, preventing the user from having to hold the weight of the arm area while typing upon the keyboard.
In some instances, a user may wish the pad to rest on the upper surface of the keyboard directly in front of the keys. In other instances, a user may wish the pad to reside separate from the keyboard, yet directly in front of the keyboard. The adaptability of the pad location depends on where the user desires to alleviate pressure points along the arm area (including the palm, wrist, or forearm area).
Conventional pads are not easily positioned around a forward surface of a keyboard. Typically, the pad remains fixed either on the forward surface of the keyboard or just in front on the keyboard. This problem is compounded with the advent of portable computers. While it is recognized that a pad is desirable to raise the user""s arm area, portable computers generally do not make available a pad integrated with the computer, much less a pad that can be configured at several positions near the forward surface of a portable computer keyboard.
It would be desirable to introduce a portable computer which can place a pad at several locations near the forward surface of the computer during operation. It would also be desirable to place the pad in a storable position also near the forward surface, but flush with the backside surface of the computer so that the portable computer can be closed completely when not in operation, yet the backside surface appears as a single planar element for ease of carrying, storage, etc. Yet further, it would be desirable for such an improved computer to couple the movement of the pad to legs near the rearward surface of the computer such that when the pad is placed in an operable position, the legs will extend from the computer automatically. These features, while absent from conventional portable computers, would present all the advantages of using a variably placed pad on portable computers which have enjoyed a substantial market share in the computer industry.
The problems outlined above are in large part solved by a rotational pad. The pad is rotational about a forward surface of the computer and can be placed in multiple positions about the forward surface. As recognized herein, the forward surface is the surface facing the user when the computer is called upon for data entry.
Rotational movement of the pad (hereinafter referred to as a wrist pad, palm pad, hand pad, arm pad, or any other such pad which a user can rest one or more portions of his or her body during keystroke operation) is operably connected to one or more legs extendable from a rearward surface of the computer. As the pad is rotated from a storage position when the portable computer is opened, a linkage coupled between the pad and the legs causes a reciprocal movement of the pad to translate to the legs. Thus, as the pad is moved to a position on which a user can rest his or her arm, wrist, or palm, the linkage draws one or more legs from a storage position within the computer to an extendable position downward from the computer.
Rotational movement of the pad allows the user to place a pad in different configurations depending upon how the operator will be using his or her computer keyboard. For example, the pad can be rotated and placed on the upper surface of the keyboard if the user will be activating elements near the backside surface of the keyboard. However, the pad can be placed in front of the keyboard, and separate from the keyboard, if the user will be activating elements near the frontside surface of the keyboard such as, for example, the mouse.
Preferably, at least one leg extends downward from the computer during use. More preferably, two legs extend downward from the computer near opposed sides of the computer near the rearward surface of the computer. When the computer is open and available for data entry, the pad either rests on the surface of the computer adjacent the keyboard or extends in front of the keyboard surface. In either instance, the leg or legs extend downward against a working surface on which the computer is placed. The working surface can be a desktop, tabletop, user lap, or any other such surface on which the computer resides during times when the user actuates the keyboard, built-in mouse, or other such entry devices near an upward-extending surface of the computer.
Preferably, the distal ends of one or more legs in combination with only a portion of the bottom surface of the computer form a plane. That plane is designed to rest upon a working surface and, therefore, the other portion of the bottom surface which is not within that plane does not abut with the working surface.
According to one embodiment, a computer wrist pad mounting apparatus Is provided. The wrist pad mounting apparatus includes a wrist pad, a leg, and a linkage coupled between the wrist pad and the leg. The wrist pad is adapted to rotate to a predefined position. The linkage responds to the rotation of the wrist pad and causes the leg to extend during times when the wrist pad is rotated to the predefined position. The wrist pad can rotate from a storage position to a position in front of the keyboard or a position on top of the keyboard surface. As such, the wrist pad can rotate in excess of 180xc2x0 and, more preferably, in excess of 200xc2x0 when rotated its full rotational amount.
According to yet another embodiment, a computer is provided. The computer includes a pad rotational about a forward surface of the computer. The computer also includes a leg in operable communication with the pad. The leg extends from the computer near a rearward surface of the computer whenever the pad is rotated to a certain position. Thus, the leg (or, when two more legs are at the rearward surface, legs) extends whenever the pad is drawn from the storage position near the bottom surface of the computer to a position extending in front of the computer or a position at the front of the computer abutting with an upper surface of the keyboard.
According to yet another embodiment, a method is provided. The method involves the steps of opening a laptop computer. When opening a laptop computer, the computer screen is unfolded from the keyboard. Thereafter, a wrist pad is rotated from a backside surface of the keyboard to a frontside surface of the keyboard. As the wrist pad is rotated, one or more legs from the backside of the keyboard are extended. As noted herein, the backside surface of the keyboard is generally regarded as the surface on which the computer rests during its operation and the frontside surface of the keyboard is the surface on which keys exist.